


Ballad of Angels and Sparrows

by Vox_Panica_48



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, No beta we die like men: stupidly, Shmi Skywalker Lives, Technically a fix it but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28769322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vox_Panica_48/pseuds/Vox_Panica_48
Summary: Shmi Skywalker grounds her ship, clipping her and her son’s wings in the process. One day, she swears, one day, my son will sail the galaxy as I have, but not now. She sings him songs of the beautiful ocean of space, of the worlds she’s visited. Every time she does, he asks her why they can’t go.It’s not safe out there, little Sparrow. Stay here with me. One day, I promise, you will spread your wings.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Ballad of Angels and Sparrows

**Author's Note:**

> This work is dedicated to @SteampunkUnicorn and @theLavaGround from the New SW Canon discord server. 
> 
> Lava, thank you for implanting this idea in my brain. 
> 
> Steam, thank you for enabling me and helping me expand my idea. 
> 
> To everyone else who stops by, a quick note before we begin. I decided at 12:11:34 AM this morning that quotations are dumb and I don't like them. Channeling that spirit, I used italics to indicate speaking. I wrote this thing in two hours, I am honestly not sure if it has a coherent plot. If it does, excellent, enjoy! If it doesn't, then I have somehow managed to write 3.3k words about nothing at all! Enjoy! 
> 
> I would like to apologize for any formatting weirdness. This is my first time posting a story on my own (normally I have the absolutely wonderful @SmolAvidReader to help me. Alas, I dug this hole on my own and I plan to write my way out damn it!). 
> 
> If you think there are any tags that I missed, feel free to let me know! Again, thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet. I hope you like what you read. 
> 
> Last thing, now that I've bored you to death. You can find me on tumblr @voxpanica. Fell free to come say hi! :D 
> 
> Alright! Thanks for your patience, on to the fic.

Shmi Sparrow grew up with the song of the void in her veins. 

When she is nine years old, her father comes back to their home. He calls to her, honeyed words, daring tales, a beautiful ship. _The Black Pearl_ , her father tells her. She never learns how it got that name. She wants to go with him. Her mother lets her go. She joins Jack Sparrow surfing the waves of space. He has one ship. It is not much, two decks, a crew complement of fifteen. But as soon as she steps into her bunk and puts away her meager belongings, she knows that this is home. She never belonged with her mother. She sails away on the winds of the galaxy and never looks back. 

When she is eighteen years old, Jack Sparrow makes her his first mate. They have a fleet of starships. Captain and right hand, they soar through the stars. They pillage and ravage and fabricate a life for themselves where none was given. Shmi Sparrow is happy. She is free to go where she pleases. Her father gives her a ship, tells her to go and carve out a name for herself. With her father’s blessing, she takes a new name: Skywalker. Shmi Skywalker parts amicably with her father, promising to check in regularly. She keeps that promise. 

When she is twenty-four years old, Shmi Skywalker realizes she is pregnant. She doesn’t know how this happened. She had never laid with anybody. But she doesn’t question it. She always wanted a child. She knows that if she keeps up her current lifestyle, she risks her child. And that cannot happen. She only tells one person on her crew: Puck Steam, her first mate. Together, they make a decision. Jack Sparrow, rough as he is, can help her. Puck makes up an excuse for the crew and Shmi slips quietly into a small ship and is lost to the void. Jack Sparrow is confused but delighted when he hears the news. _I’ve always wanted a grandson_ , he proclaims. Shmi laughs at her father. _How do you know it's going to be a boy_ , she asks. _I heard it from a star._ He is staunch in his conviction. _He will soar, just like you, Shmi._

When she is twenty-five years old, her father presents her with a homestead on Tatooine. _For you,_ he says. _And for my grandson._ _No one will bother you here. I have made a bargain with the Hutts for your protection. I promise. If anything happens to you, you know where to find me._ He has always had an uneasy but steady relationship with the Hutts. Shmi thanks her father. She spends the next few months with her father as her child grows within her. When she finally gives birth, her father brings her mother aboard to see her grandson. Her mother and father coo over the child, a beautiful baby boy. _His name will be Anakin Sparrow Skywalker_. Her father beams as Anakin’s tiny hand closes around his finger. _He will be great. He’s gonna rattle the stars_. His words are prophetic. 

Shmi Skywalker leaves her father and mother behind. She grounds her ship, clipping her wings in the process. _One day_ , she swears, _one day, my son will sail the galaxy as I have, but not now._ Shmi Skywalker grows older on Tatooine. Anakin is her North Star. He is a source of light, her compass, how she knows she is headed in the right direction. She sings him songs of the beautiful ocean of space, of the worlds she’s visited. Every time she does, he asks her why they can’t go. _It’s not safe out there, little Sparrow. Stay here with me. One day, I promise, you will spread your wings._

* * *

Anakin Sparrow Skywalker is raised by a single mother on stories of his grandfather. His grandfather, Jack Sparrow, either the worst or best pirate you’ve ever seen, depending on the source. His pirate empire stretched from the edges of Hutt space to the inner Core. He had assets in everything and a hand in every slightly illegal dealing in the system. 

_Tell me little Sparrow, did I ever tell you the story of how your grandfather and I raided a convoy of Banking Clan ships?_ Shmi would beckon to her son, patting her lap. _No mom, you didn’t! Will you tell me now?_ Anakin would scramble over to her and clamber up her legs. She would pull his head onto her chest so he could hear her heartbeat and gently stroke his head. _Well, Ani…_ She would spin a tale much more grand than the last time he had been told a story. He would sit there, enraptured by the daring tales of his grandfather’s exploits. _Mom, why don’t we go out there? You have a ship, we can be pirates together!_ He would whine. Shmi would caress his face. _Shhhh, Ani, you are so young. You will get your chance. But not for a long time. Being a pirate is dangerous. Your grandfather is wanted in fifteen systems and I am wanted in seven. I want you to be prepared when you venture out into the world._

And so the Sparrow is grounded on Tatooine. Without even meaning to, his mother is grounding her North Star like she grounded her ship. In the process, she clips the Sparrow’s wings. He never resents her. She is his mother, she is all he’s ever really known. But late at night when his mother is sleeping, he sneaks out of their homestead and runs into the expanse of the desert. The wind runs through his hair and for a moment, he feels like he is flying. Like he isn’t a caged bird. He would leap from dune to dune until he could run no more. Anakin, sweat dripping down his soft features, would flop down on the soft sand. Staring up at the billions of stars dotting the Tatooine sky, he would make angels in the sand. Eyes wide, mind open, he would reach one arm up to the sky as if he could call them to him. He would pray to the Desert and the Sea-That-He-Has-Never-Seen for an Angel to come and rescue him from his gilded cage. 

* * *

Anakin Sparrow Skywalker gets his wish sooner than he anticipated. He and his mother spend the day in town. She wants to buy some fruit to make him a cake for his birthday and he insists upon coming along. When his mom looks at him, he presents his argument. 

_How will you know if the fruits are ripe? You and I both know that of the two of us, I am better at picking out fruit?_ Shmi scrutinizes him and he feels himself blushing, but stands firm. _You just want to see all of the ships that came in, don’t you?_ Anakin’s hands twist in front of him. His mother has always been able to see through him, but he hopes this time he can convince her otherwise. _No!... Maybe…_ He sighs, knowing he cannot lie to his mother. _Yes, yeah I just want to see all the ships that came in. Come on mom! What harm can it do to look?_ Anakin sees his mom relenting. Shmi sighs, _Alright, but don’t go far!_

His grin lights up the room. Together, they walk to Shmi’s speeder. Anakin hops into the driver’s seat before Shmi can protest. She doesn’t and Anakin relishes his small victory. 

That night, he runs out into the desert. He runs further than he ever had. When he finally flops down on the sand, his lungs are burning pleasantly and his hair sticks to his forehead. He gently combs it out of the way and looks to the stars. As usual, there are some stars that are actually ships leaving Mos Eisley. He closes his eyes and imagines he is on one of those ships. Sitting by the window, nose against transparisteel. In the pilot’s seat, steering through an asteroid field with ease. Playing holochess with a faceless person, laughing as he wins while the ship drifts lazily through space. The gentle breeze of the desert cools his face. He dozes there and when he drifts off, he dreams of a vast ocean, more water than he has ever seen. 

He is woken from his dream by roaring thunder. At first, he thinks it is a sandstorm, but he can still see. Then he looks up. A comet. Breaking the atmosphere in a fiery explosion of rock. He stands, brushing sand out of his clothes and looks closer… That’s not a comet. It is a ship! 

The ship is falling apart, pieces of metal breaking off and hurtling off to unknown destinations. It is headed right for him. Eyes widening, the Sparrow takes flight. He runs towards his home, runs away from the crash site. He hears the impact, a soft implosion of sand and metal. It seems as though the pilot managed to gain control, at least partly. Instinctually, he crouches to the ground, covering his mouth and nose, squeezing his eyes tightly. The dust cloud rolls towards him and crashes over him like a wave. Anakin is coated in sand and dust. When it clears, he looks back into the desert. The ship is a mound of silver in the red hills. Anakin runs back to his home. 

He does not wake his mother. He wants to prove to her that he is ready to fly. So he grabs a first aid kit, a canteen, and some old but clean sheets. He grabs a pair of goggles to protect his eyes and a bandana to cover his face. Stuffing it all into a backpack, he takes the speeder back to the crash site. The remains of a beautiful ship are smoking. He knows that slavers and scavengers will be swarming the site within hours. He has to work fast. Cautiously, he enters the ship. Sparks fly around him as he worms his way through the wreckage. Compared to some of the ships he has seen in the spaceport, this one is small. Likely, a complement of a few people. He makes his way to where he thinks the cockpit is. 

Slumped over the controls is a woman. A girl, really. White clothes coated in grime, dark hair pulled back in a bun. She is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. Maybe this is his angel. There is a man next to her, bleeding from a gash in his forehead, reddish gold hair glistening. He checks the girl first. She is breathing, albeit shallowly. He gives her a once over. She appears to be alright. The man is also alright, although that cut is bleeding profusely. 

Anakin gently pulls the girl from her seat and lifts her into his arms. He staggers slightly but steadies himself. Slowly, he takes her out of the ship and deposits her on the seat of the speeder. Then he gets the man. Once both people are out of the ship and out of danger, he dives back in, searching for anything that might be valuable. He may have been raised a moisture farmer, but he has piracy in his blood. It helps that his mother had taught him how to use almost every conceivable weapon starting when he was seven. 

There are two rooms in the ship that show signs of being lived in. One is more elaborate and contains several suitcases. Without checking their contents, he tugs them outside. The second room is more utilitarian. There is a bag with the contents strewn across the floor. He gathers them. Something in his blood tells him to look under the bed. He finds a seemingly hollow tube that hums with power in his hands. Then Anakin remembers the tales his mother told him about the Jedi who hunted her and her father. She described a tube eerily like this one. One of them must be Jedi. 

After a second sweep of the ship, he recovers some credits, a few blasters, and a very nice robe. He makes his way out of the ship and to the bodies slumped in the speeder. But there is only one body. The man. Then he’s lying in the sand with the breath knocked out of him. The woman is standing over him, one foot on his chest, pointing a blaster at his face. 

_Who are you?_ She demands to know. 

_Anakin Sparrow Skywalker. Are you an angel?_

_I… what?_ The woman seems confused and lowers her blaster slightly. 

_An angel. Beautiful creatures who roam the stars, blessing the ships and captains who treat them with respect, crashing the ones who don’t._

_No… I’m not an angel… my name is Padmé, this is my ship._

_How did you get here?_ At the question, the angel, Padmé, raises it again. 

_What’s it to you?_

_Well, this area has a lot of pirates and I need to know if my mother and I are going to be in danger if I take you home. Your friend is injured and your ship is damaged. It seems to me like you could use a place to stay for a while. We have some spare rooms. I’m sure my mother wouldn’t be too mad._

She appraises him for a moment and then lowers her blaster for good. He gets up and they go in silence to the speeder. She introduces her unconscious friend as Obi-Wan. Anakin doesn’t pry. Shmi Skywalker may have been a pirate, but she prides herself on her manners. Their business is their business. If they want to talk about it, they will. Anakin tries to talk to her, just small talk really, but Padmé doesn’t want to talk. When they reach the homestead, Shmi is waiting for him. After a thorough lecturing of Anakin, she welcomes their guests into her home. Anakin carefully carries Obi-Wan into the home, setting him gently on a bed and placing his bag right next to him. Shmi has taken care of Padmé. Anakin and his mother say nothing to each other. Anakin has a way off the planet now. They both know it. 

In the morning, Anakin and Padmé go back to the ship. Obi-Wan still hasn’t woken up, but Shmi promised to stay by him and make sure that he knew what was going on. The ship isn’t in as bad a condition as they thought. Anakin, who has been charming his way into the hearts of every mechanic in Mos Eisley and getting free lessons out of it, takes one look at the ship and declares it fixable. He tells the angel that he can fix her wings in a month, maybe two. Reluctantly, she agrees, not seeing any better option. 

The two months pass faster than Anakin would have liked. But he does find out more about his mysterious housemates. On the seventh day, Padmé reveals her last name is Amidala and Obi-Wan tells him that he is a Jedi. On the eleventh day, Obi-Wan tells him that he and Padmé are on the run from political enemies. The fifteenth day reveals that Padmé is a senator from Naboo. The thirty-third day is when Anakin tells Padmé about Jack Sparrow. She barely bats an eye. When they have been living together for forty-one days, Obi-Wan confesses that he isn't in the Order anymore. He left. Padmé tells Anakin on day forty-four that she felt stifled by the Senate. She tells Anakin that she was a queen, that her new queen asked her to serve. She couldn’t say no. But then she got to the Senate and found herself a cage. She tried to make it work, building herself a beautiful cage that was only a cage in that it kept her wings clipped. But it didn’t work. Her protector Obi-Wan felt the same so the two ran away. They stole a ship and fled, as far as they could go. They were hit by an asteroid and crashed on Tatooine. On day fifty-nine, Anakin finishes the ship and Padmé asks if he wants to come with them. 

_We were never meant to be grounded, you and I_ , she says. _We were meant to surf on solar flares and swim in the stars._ Without even thinking, Anakin agrees. He tells his mother, who gives him her blessing with tears in her eyes. _Go soar, little Sparrow. Come and visit me. Go make me and your grandfather proud._ Anakin packs his belongings and doesn't look back. His hand finds Padmé's in the glow of the setting suns. 

They hold a mock christening of their repaired ship. Padmé and Obi-Wan don’t have any ideas. Anakin has been dreaming of stars and flying since he knew what those words meant. _The Legionnaire_ , he says without hesitation. His companions agree. They leave Tatooine as the triple moons rise. Padmé curls against Anakin in the night. 

First, they go to Padmé's home planet. Anakin and Padmé spend the days swimming in the lakes in the countryside where no one will look for them. They have their first kiss lying on a beach looking up at the stars. _My Angel_ , he says, kissing her softly. _My Sparrow_ , she replies, caressing his face. Anakin has never seen such beauty in his life. Surely this is what paradise looks like, beautiful, clear water, good company, stories by a glowing fireplace. But as they said, they were never meant to be grounded. 

They move on. Obi-Wan requests that they go to Kamino. He has been in contact with a man he met there who also wants to run away. The man introduces himself as Cody. He and his brothers do not want to die in a war they do not believe in. The three person legion expands to include Cody, Rex, Dogma, Tup, Hardcase, Fives, Heavy, Bly, Wolffe, Echo, Jesse, Hawk, Appo, Fox, Kix, Gregor, Waxer, Boil. Suddenly, their ship isn’t big enough anymore. They steal a second one when they stop on Ryloth. Anakin, their captain, christens the ship _The Seraphim_ . When they stop on Shili to refuel, they attract a stowaway. Ahsoka Tano, barely fifteen, joins their motley crew. Her spunk endears her to Anakin. _You, like me, are not meant to be on the ground. Join us and ride on the galaxy’s current._

Word reaches Anakin that the legendary Jack Sparrow has died. Padmé hugs him as he cries, cries for the man he idolized, the man who inspired his love of the tides of space. Fives and Rex sense an opportunity. As Anakin mourns, the _Seraphim_ with Obi-Wan’s assistance lays claim to the Sparrow Empire in the name of the heir. Twenty years later, Anakin meets the man who helped his mother ensure that he would have a safe upbringing. When Puck Steam swears fealty to Captain Anakin Sparrow Skywalker, the rest of the Sparrow fleet falls into line. 

The Sparrow-Angel Legion grows under the care of their leaders. Five years after he left Tatooine, Anakin has amassed a healthy collection of scars and stories to show for his efforts. He has a crew, an empire, and travels the galaxy, reveling in his freedom. He sails through and works surrounded by stardust. There is only one thing missing. 

_Padmé Amidala, my Angel,_ Anakin takes a knee on the bridge of their flagship, in the middle of a beautiful purple, red, and gold nebula. _You truly are an angel, I helped you and in turn, you elevated me to new heights, blessing me and my crew. You helped me realize that I could fly. Will you be my wife?_

_Anakin Skywalker, my Sparrow,_ Padmé replies. _It would be my honor._

Sparrow and Angel are joined, body, mind, and soul, hovering next to the twin suns of Tatooine, in full view of their blood and found families. They spend the rest of their days floating on clouds, diving through galactic currents, loving as they live. Together, they soar.


End file.
